Tustin resident Riley McQuaid, 14, poses with the Gold Ball after winning the USTA Winter National Championships tournament held in Tucson, AZ last month. THE MCQUAID FAMILY, COURTESY OF

An October ankle injury might’ve held Tustin-area junior tennis player Riley McQuaid out of a few tournaments, but by the time the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Winter National Championships came around, McQuaid was back on her feet and ready for competition.

The six-day tournament started on Dec. 27 and concluded with the championship match on Jan. 1.

McQuaid competed against a field that included the top 128 players in the girls singles 14-year-old age division in pursuit of the title of National Champion and the coveted “Gold Ball.”

McQuaid won her first six matches of the tournament without dropping a set. One of those six wins was a 6-3, 6-2 semifinal win over top-seeded Hannah Lairmore of Mobile, AL.

The championship match pitted McQuaid against Anna Brylin of Short Hills, NJ, and despite dropping the second set, McQuaid came out victorious, 6-0, 3-6, 6-4, earning the Gold Ball she has been chasing.

“Winning a Gold Ball is something I have dreamed of and worked toward since I started playing tennis,” McQuaid said.

The Pacific Coast high school freshman finished the 2013 calendar year as the fourth-ranked player in the country in the girls singles 14-year-old age division.

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